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Buddhism: A Simple Life

            Festivals and traditions are a common element of all religions. They bring communities together in unity to celebrate their values and their beliefs. Different religions celebrate their festivals in many diverse ways. Traditions and festivals may be similar between one religion to the next, however the significance of these can be incredibly different. Buddhism is a religion that follows this notion. It is a prominent religion in terms of their traditions and festivals and the beliefs behind them. However Buddhism does have some distinct similarities with other religions. Buddhism is unlike and similar to other religions in terms of the way in which they celebrate festivals, the attitude towards their traditions and the nature of their beliefs.
             The way in which Buddhists celebrate their festivals is quite unlike the religious celebrations of other religions. The festivals celebrated by the Buddhists contain a joyous celebration of colour and feasting. These festivities can be seen in the festival of Loy Karthong in which Buddhists set bowls of candles into the water. Although there seems to be great excitement, true Buddhists do not hold elaborate celebrations. True Buddhists do not hold large feasts; rather they devote festival days to prayer and performing good deeds. On a typical festival day people often go to a temple or monastery and offer food and clothing to the monks. While at the temple they listen to the Dharma preach. In the afternoon they perform good deeds towards those less fortunate. Occasionally, people will also help animals in distress by setting them free from confinement. In the evening people will often participate in a ceremony which pays respect to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. The day is usually ended with chanting and meditation of the Buddha's teaching. This is typically the way in which Buddhists celebrate festivals. There is no jazz or anticipation of receiving gifts, as there is in many other cultures.


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